Rebellion on Neo Karthoum
by Commander Starforge
Summary: I do not own Warhammer. It is the property of Games Workshop. An uprising has started on Neo Karthoum. Rebels, conscripts, former PDF and volunteers are everythng that is guarding the planets freedom from the Imperium. Private Steven Harrow is a rebel fighting against the invading Imperials. Please rate and Review
1. First Encounter

_Year 998.M41 On Neo Karthoum._

I quickly loaded my lasgun as I saw the soldiers on the other side of the bridge. Our demolitionists had reduced the buildings on the other side to rubble, and then mined them again. The bridge we were guarding served as nothing but a trap and a place where the Imperium could bleed out their forces. Also we overlooked a highway that could be used to transport soldiers and supplies to the main front in the north. Our side of the bridge was rigged with a sensor and explosives that blew up the bridge the second anything crossed it.

Neo Karthoum was undergoing a full uprising, and receiving a full invasion.

"Enemies ahead!" The officer of my squad yelled.

"Prepare weapons and engage!" The order came from our sector leader on our earphones. All along the line bloodthirsty men waited with their weapons shouldered. The sun was shining down almost directly above and heated us up as we scanned the ruins with our eyes. When we finally caught a glimpse of green flak armor I was the first to pull the trigger. I missed, but the soldiers who fired after me hit their marks with precision you could expect from a militia. I shot again and missed, but I hit closer to home this time. I could hear a few faint screams, but they were drowned out by the sound of rifle-fire. I could hear two weak pops behind me and watched as the mortars began firing at the imperials. The body of an imperial was sent flying into the river by an explosion. After a few seconds they returned fire on our trenches.

The intensity of their firepower was overwhelming. Even though we were in a superior position we were quickly suppressed.

"FRAAAAAK!" someone yelled as he barely dodged the laser threatening to kill us.

A few brave men kept the fight going, and the steady "Rat-at-at-at" from our MG's signaled that we were still in the game. I lifted my rifle above the trench and fired a few blind shots. I was strong enough to control the recoil, but I did not know if I was shooting at the imperials or the fish in the river.

When the enemy fire shifted to another position I stood up, pulled the stock to my chin and aimed quickly for a soldier kneeling on the riverbank. I pulled the trigger and watched as he went down screaming with a smoking hole through his armor and his shoulder. The rest of his squad was mowed down as a long burst of MG-fire cleared the riverbank. When the dust settled I saw the blood almost running in rivers down to the sandy shore before it seeped into the river.

They were clearly more trained than we were, but we held our trench as best as we could. I knew no one in my squad, but felt a little sorry for them when one of them slumped dead to the ground or were launched backwards by a shot from a heavier weapon. The latter leaving their dead bodies in a huge bleeding mess.

Taking aim again I pulled the trigger repeatedly. I could not hear it, but I could see a man twist and scream in pain as three shots pierced his chest in an almost diagonal line. A friend rushed to his side with his gun spitting deadly lasfire. He could do little for his friend, but started dragging him away from the killzone. I for one did not fire at the pair I had no intention of killing wounded when I did not need to.

The firefight had now gone on for about thirty minutes and I had only managed to get a killcount of seventeen guardsmen. Right now I was working on suppressing a heavy bolter squad. They had mounted their gun, but an incoming mortar shell had chased them away before they could fire. Now I was firing at any part of them I could see and the ruined wall they were hiding behind.

"BASILISK!" our officer yelled as two loud bangs filled the air.

My chest was filled with fear as I waited for the shells to hit our positions and blast us into oblivion. The shells instead hit the river and shot two huge foamy pillars of water into the air. Two loud bangs followed, but now I was firing instead of waiting for the shots to hit us. The fear was still present and was washing through me in waves making my hands shake. One of the crewmen ran for the gun, but I had been waiting for him and he slumped dead over the big automated weapon.

Their heavy artillery kept firing at us, but they were unable to hit our small trenches and had very little effect, except delaying our runners coming with ammo. Sweat was rolling down my chin as I loaded another battery into the rifle. I did not even pause as I felt the hot air from a lasgun shot pass right my by head. I lifted my rifle up and laid it down on the edge of the trench for support and stability. The sun was high in the sky, and if I had looked up I would have been able to see a few of their massive cruisers up in space. The air was hot and the sun showed no remorse as it beat down on our heads.

Two hours had passed since the first shot was fired, and now we were alone again. The artillery had stopped and everything was quiet. The sun would go down in an hour and a half, and our sector-commander told us to expect another attack during the night. Like many others I was cleaning my rifle. A few lucky soldiers had gotten their hands on scopes or other attachments for their rifles. I did not have anything but my rifle, a militia uniform and the standard gear. I was a member of the 3rd Militia regiments second platoon. In that platoon we were three companies: Alpha, Bravo and Carrion. I was in Bravo and we were on guard at the bridge for the first three days. Carrion was resting and patrolling the riverbank whilst Alpha was guarding our rear. Every third day we would change which company that held the bridge. Each company had one hundred and fifty men, but we were not at full strength after today's little skirmish.

I looked over the edge of the trench and saw nothing. The dead bodies of the guardsmen lay scattered in the ruins of once habitable buildings that had now been reduced to rubble. In the distance I heard a few shots being fired. It was a few kilometers upriver, but it was nothing to worry about.

"Sounds like the guys from Carrion found something to do." Someone said as I turned my gaze down the river. In the distance I saw a few muzzle-flashes, but they died out after a few minutes.

Resting my chin against the top of the trench I carefully watched for any movement. The dead bodies behind me had been removed a long time ago, but the memory of each dead soldier falling to the ground was seared into my mind. I just hoped that I would not join them anytime soon.

Then suddenly drop-pod came out of nowhere, and landed on the other side of the bridge. A hatch opened on the back and an armored man rushed out.

"Astartes!" A soldier yelled and I pulled the trigger.

The shot hit the huge man, but did not even seem to bother him. As he took cover behind some rubble he stepped on a landmine. The Space Marine was launched into the air as more of them came out from the pod. They all wore a silvery armor with green shoulder pads adorned with a skull. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that I would be fighting against Astartes.

"Keep shooting!" Our officer yelled, and we obeyed because after all our lives depended on it.

My rifle kicked against my shoulder as I landed a shot right on the helmet of a space marine. He seemed to be staggered by the shot and a when a mortar shell landed a few feet away from him he was launched straight into the side of their launch pod. He landed hard on the ground and stayed there.

The basilisk fire resumed, but this time with more intensity and more guns. I think they had six guns focused on our position, but I could not be sure. Our mortars had nothing on the firepower that rained down on us. We had heard that the left trench had taken a direct hit, but we still saw weapons firing from their position. I was so full of dirt and I would surely have been deaf if we hadn't been given earplugs to use during battle. Four of the Astartes now lay dead, or wounded. I would not dare to count our losses for four of their soldiers.

"Call in reinforcements!" Our officer yelled into his mouthpiece.

A hail of bullets made me duck down. I could clearly hear the huge chunks of metal fly past my head at an incredible speed, but that did not bother me. I was standing in a small pool of blood, and I hadn't even noticed. My boots were covered in it and next to my left boot there was lying a dead corpse with its head blown off. I could clearly see the bones and the flesh just pour out of the place where the head should be. I felt like I should vomit, but it was neither the time nor the place. I straightened myself back up again and fired the remaining charges in my rifle into and Astartes making his way onto the bridge. He did not get very far due to the mines we had put in place. He turned back after the first mine knocked him off his feet. Still firing his weapon he steadily retreated.

A burst of MG-fire ripped his helmet off and it was launched into the air. He covered his face with his left hand and bulled a pistol out of his belt. He shot a few poorly aimed shots at our trench, but his hand soon took a few hits and it wasn't long before more shots hit his head. The marine fell dead to the ground with a loud metallic bang.

My heart was still pumping even though the fight had been over for at least a minute. It felt as if each second lasted five seconds. Four Astartes lay dead on the ground and one more on the bridge. The rest were in cover behind the ruins. Their weapons had left huge marks on our defenses and some of our sandbag covers had been blasted out of existence. The left trench had been ravaged and only fifteen survivors remained in their trench out of fifty. We had thirty-seven men left. Both trenches had a heavy MG emplacement next to the road, and both of them were intact. They were of local fabrication and called Neo-MG. Some called them Neon-MG because of the green light the barrel made when it became very heated.

"Finally you arrive!" I said with slight resentment to the soldiers from Alpha.

"What did we miss?" A new guy asked and took up a position next to me, planting his feet right on top a corpse he failed to notice. He quickly got off it and a runner came and fetched it.

"There are seven Astartes on the other side of the bridge. They are armed with heavy ballistic weaponry and are currently suppressed." I said to give him the latest intel on our situation.

The information was shared around the trenches. All holes in the defense were filled and some were even expanding trench. It would be meaningless since we did not have any men to defend the extensions, but someone had probably given an order and I shut up

After a while of watching, the sun was going down in the south. I myself was anxious and a little bit scared. The Astartes had been hard enough to fight during the day. They would be near impossible to fight during the night without the proper gear, and we had little of that. A counter-attack was not an option since we would be going against a vastly superior foe and our mortars were waiting for more ammunition. My eyes carefully swept over the ruins on the other side. Impatiently we waited.

Flashlights were focused on the other side of the river. Night had fallen, and there was still no sign of the Astartes on the other side. Many asked if they had retreated, but we had no way of knowing. Tiredness silently crept in on me. I wasn't standing anymore, but lying against the trench with my rifle pointing forwards. I remembered the last time I had slept in a comfortable bed. It was little more than three days ago when we had first been given the order to march here and fortify the position here. I remember being scared of marching to war. The thought of just walking away from my mother and father to never come back scared me a little. Thinking about my family made me miss them. I had no intention of dying here.

I was halfway sleeping now like the rest of the men. Some were even snoring. A few lay quietly under blankets and rested. Our officer (named Captain Lothek) walked back and forth in the trench with his laspistol in hand. A few unlucky men were woken up as he passed. Finally the sound of his boots came to me.

"Still awake Private?" He asked me and put his hand on my shoulder.

We had been given orders not to salute our officers due to the risk of snipers. "Barely Captain." I replied, and lifted my head slightly.

"You're Private Marcus right?" He asked me, but he was wrong.

"No sir, I am Private Steven Harrow Sir." He nodded and sighed.

"So then Marcus is dead. He was standing right here earlier." He replied with a weak smile. He put his hand on my shoulder and smiled for a few seconds before he walked past me.

My eyelids kept fighting the tiredness, but it was a fight I was losing. After thirty minutes I sat down in the trench and fell asleep. As it would turn out I would sleep quietly through the night.


	2. The Second Day

Day dawned and the Astartes had yet to show themselves. I expected to wake up feeling cold, but I did not. Someone had taken the bother of putting a blanket over my sleeping body. Though I did not know who had done it I sent the man a thankful thought.

I carefully nudged the uniform of a man standing to my right. Lazily he acknowledged me with a slow "Yeah?"

"Any developments?" I asked and looked up at his face. "Or food?" I added, feeling the hunger in my belly.

The man looked as if he was in his young thirties. He had a small, brown mustache, green eyes and slightly brown skin.

"Nothing I'm afraid. The Astartes slipped away during the night and we are on guard for a counter-attack. When it comes to food we have sent some runners for bread, and also Carrion went with them." The soldier answered.

"Good." I replied, and stood up. Dizziness ensued as my low blood pressure kicked in, but with only a little bit of swaying I leaned comfortably against the trench.

I had seen a few dead bodies before yesterday, but the huge piles of them on the other side of the river made me sick. The ground was painted red with blood and flies filled the air.

"By the Emperor…" I whispered in shock at the sight before me.

My hand covered my mouth as I started to hyperventilate. I had not noticed the smell before, but here it was. The most horrible mix of bad meat and blood mixed with the smell of coolant and burnt fabric and hair filled my nostrils. The urge to vomit came quickly and started to feel convulsions. However I did not vomit, but instead wrapped a piece of cloth around my face to offer me some protection.

I frequently poured water on the cloth to wash away the smell, but it worked. The soldier standing with me was named Alex Greener. He was thirty-three and had been conscripted two months ago to undergo training. He had a wife at home expecting a child in four months. I did not envy him for having a wife, but I expressed my sympathies for him having to miss his first Childs birth. He hoped to get leave for when his wife was giving birth.

After a few minutes of waiting I heard the steps of our runners coming with my breakfast though it was lunchtime. We were only given bread, cheese, sometimes meat and water. Despite the very repetitive meal it kept us healthy and fed.

"Any news from the capital?" I asked the runner as he came to me with my lunch.

He handed me my food and said "The front is holding. General Watson is confident that he can hold the imperials back. There are news of Astartes all over the planet, but they have proved to be quite ineffective." After that he kept going.

He too wore cloth over his face like us. "_The smell must have spread I guess._" I thought to myself.

I lifted the cloth to take a bite of the sandwich. The old and familiar taste was dry in my mouth thanks to the lack of water, but that was quickly cured by the lukewarm water in my canteen.

The news from the front was good news. As long as Watson held the capital we could force them from landing masses of troops thanks to the orbital-canon and also thanks to the void-shield that protected it. General Watson was also a former officer in the Imperial army. In his early retirement he had been working as a pirate before he came back to his home planet to fight his former comrades. All in all he commanded over thirty million soldiers bent on fighting the Imperium to their last dying breath.

A scream howled through the air as a mine went off. The horrible screams of very injured human gave me chills as I quickly got my rifle ready, leaving my lunch on the trench behind me. First I could see nothing and neither could anyone else, but more and more men gathered with their weapons ready. My eyes darted back and forth as I scanned the ruins. No signs of any motion or a living being.

"They're on the left!" I screamed as I caught a glimpse of a guardsman crawling into a crater on the left flank.

I snapped my rifle into position and pulled the trigger. New screams came and died with the sound of gunfire. Loud cracks sounded from my right as grenade launchers were put to use. I did not even feel the slightest remorse as I saw a squad advance along the road before they got torn to bits by an explosion. A shot raced by my head and I ducked. Down the trench I saw a man desperately clenching his shot arm to stop the bleeding. My heart was pumping in throat and I stood up again. I roared loudly as I put the rifle on automatic and showered every visible Imperial with lasfire. I ended up wounding many instead of killing them, but I felt satisfied at the result. Alex who was standing next to me fired precisely and in bursts. When his barrel moved it left blood where it had been pointing.

I had no intention to scream, but the pain of being shot was unimaginable. It felt as if my entire left arm was blazing hot with the burning fury of the Inquisition when they found a traitor or a heretic. It fell limp and useless as I fell back in the trench. I dropped my rifle, and with my right hand I tried franticly to hold back the red liquid pouring out of my shoulder. A colorful curse flew out of my mouth as Alex put his hands firmly on top of the wound. Any man who ever said that getting hit or kicked in the crotch was the most painful thing ever should be shot.

"Hold still!" Alex ordered and called for a medic.

Another loud bang and more screams came from the other side.

"Hold still!" Alex yelled again, and looked fiercely into my eyes.

A man rushed to my side and quickly looked at the wound. His white badge with a red cross identified him as a medic.

"Shot to the shoulder. There is no need to amputate." He said as he opened a bag hanging along his side.

He quickly got out a salve and a pouch with powder.

"This might sting!" He shouted into my ear as the shell of a basilisk shook the ground.

"Hold him!" He ordered Alex and started pouring the black powder from the pouch into the wound.

It did sting quite a bit, but it was nothing compared to the shot itself. Another shell landed nearby and it felt like a small earthquake, but the worst was when the medic poured uncontrollably into the wound. I screamed loudly, but stayed still. Every muscle tensed and he apologized before starting to smear a salve around the wound. This was not nearly as painful, but now the burning pain was slowly replaced by a feeling of numbness.

"Sit still for a while so that the wound does not start bleeding again! I don't want to see you on your feet for another ten minutes! Is that clear?!" I nodded to him and he took off in direction of another wounded man.

"Can you fight!?" Captain Lothek asked and kneeled down next to me.

He grabbed my rifle and placed it against the wall so it wouldn't get stepped on. Something I should have done myself.

"I am under orders to stay still for another five minutes Sir, but my arm is useless!" I yelled back to him.

The pain was gone, but it was now numb and lame somehow. He studied the wound for a few seconds before he handed me his laspistol and took my rifle. We exchanged ammunition and he shouldered the rifle.

"Get up and fight when you are able soldier!" he yelled and crawled past me.

Before he vanished away he fired a few shots at the imperials. He was quick on his feet and was down again in no time. I looked down and gently picked up the laspistol. I had fired ten shots with one in target practice once, but that was as far as my experience with pistols went. Still I recognized it as an Accatran MG pattern. It was loaded and the safety was off. I covered my head as a shower of dirt descended after another explosion.

The wait was over and I was now on my feet. My left arm was stuck in left pocket so that it was not hanging around needlessly. Alexander nodded at my pistol and said "Nice gear!"

A chimera stood on the opposite flank and poured punishment with two heavy bolters onto the other trench. As I looked over I saw that their MG was no longer firing.

"They're getting fucked!" I yelled, but turned my focused on my own problems as bursts of lasfire flew past me and Alex.

Lifting the pistol I marked out a small group lying in cover in the ruins and partially in a crater. The recoil from the pistol was a little bit weaker than I remembered, but it still threw my aim slightly off. I fired five more shots in rapid succession and missed with every single one of them. My heart was beating rapidly, and my hand was shaking as I took aim for the sixth time. I filled my lungs with air and held it there as I circled the barrel onto my target. I used no more than five second so the pulse in my stomach did not kick in. On the first second I had put my aim on a kneeling man. I had watched him shoot at us for a while and determined that he would stay like that until I had aimed properly. On the next second I circled my barrel and aimed at his chest. On the third I gently squeezed the trigger back, using as little strength as possible to avoid shaking my hand. When the forth second came he felt something else than recoil slam against his body as my shot pierced the left side of his chest. Feeling satisfied with my shot I took cover as a deadly shower hit the trench where I was standing.

Alex had kept cool and stayed on his feet. Thanks to a miracle he was unscathed, and I watched in awe at what could either be bravery or foolishness. The only thing I saw in his face was pure focus. His eyes were locked in his sights and he shook slightly as he fired round after round. Deciding that the worst of the bulletstorm was over I too stood up and returned fire. I stood there sideways to make myself as small and thin as possible.

I saw a heavy bolter team move up, but they were mowed down by our own mg leaving a small red stream after its work was done. Shots ricochet off the weapon as a few soldiers focused their fire. I was busy focusing my fire on soldiers driven down to the riverbank to get transported across on small rafts. A commissar was in charge of the operation. It was now midday, and the battle had raged for three hours. One raft had made it across and a group of fifteen men were making their way up the sandy riverbank into our guns. The first men fell as an old man next to me threw a grenade. He had held the grenade a little too long, but it exploded a few meters over their heads and showered them with shrapnel. Two more kept fighting for their lives, and used their dead or dying friends as cover.

"Shoot the soldiers on the raft!" I yelled as a second one was on its way across.

A guardsman on the raft fired his grenade launcher and hit the trench a dozen meters down from me. Taking aim I fired shots onto the crowed raft. Soldier after soldier fell, and in the end the commissar gave up the idea.

A misfire from their artillery landed on their side of the river. I was shocked now that I grasped the full extent of their firepower. Humans and rubble were thrown around like straw from the explosion.

"Requesting artillery on the left flank, a Chimera is decimating the position! Call in Carrion! We need reinforcements!" Lothek yelled into his Vox communicator as he took up position a meter away from me.

Looking at the left flank I saw the Chimera spewing out more death. A grenade slammed into its side and exploded, but had little effect.

Now our guns fired back. Four of the stationary 200mm artillery guns stationed a kilometer behind our position came to life in a deadly barrage. I had never seen them myself, but they carried monstrous firepower with them. They fired two and two in tandem and shots landed each sixth second. I had doubted that such a level of skill was out of our army's reach, but I was proved wrong. The Chimera had suffered no direct hit, but it was now in full retreat and everything behind it ought to get out of the way. The most devoted of the imperials kept the attack going, but they were broken after mere minutes of lasfire and bombardment.

"How is the wound?" Alex asked as we sat in the trench.

"Not too bad. I can't feel anything and it is lame." I said and trailed off.

The thought of being lame in one arm was not a nice thought.

"Don't worry. You will probably be able to use it in a few days. We will soon be taken off the front too so you have time to rest soon." He replied, still looking over to the other side. So close yet so far away.

"I hope so. Getting rest will be good for us." I said and nodded.

Tonight's sleep wouldn't be remembered because of it being comfortable and so I hoped that we got beds. A few joints had been hurting prior to the battle and more than a few muscles had needed stretching after I had woken up.

Imperial guardsmen flooded the other side of the river. They were all dead and gone, but the sight of their sheer numbers scared me a little. Our artillery was still firing. Now that it had been revealed to the enemy it was bombarding their main force. The frontline was placed fifteen kilometers away and their flank was within the effective range of the canons. With even intervals the guns fired their high explosive shells over our heads and hopefully into some imperial tank or infantry squad.

"I just hope they leave us in peace tomorrow, but I doubt it." I went on.

"They will probably be more persistent now that we have heavy artillery striking at them 24-7 I bet Chimera's and loads of infantry as soon as later today." Alex replied, and I had no plan on betting against him. Still I had hope.

After a while Alex fetched picture out of a pocket in his uniform. A young woman smiled from the picture. She was blonde with blue eyes and fair skin. Her lips were red and full as they smiled happily. Her cheeks were slightly blushed and it looked like the picture had been taken during a hot season somewhere.

"Your wife?" I asked, but I had no real need to even ask.

"Yeah, her name is Ashley Reed." He answered with a smile. Still there was sadness on his face. He probably missed her quite a lot.

"She looks good! Lucky man." I complimented him and looked up again.

"Thanks." He snorted with a smile. "I just hope I get to come home to her." He said after a while, suddenly sounding unsure. We hadn't known each other for more than a day, but we could already be considered friends.

"Don't think like that! We've made it for two days, and tomorrow we're off the front!" I said optimistically. He gave me a little weak smile.

"Yeah, but what happens after that? What if the imperial army breaks through either here or on the frontline?" He kept on arguing.

"My only response to that is if the war was run by you it would be over now." I joked and patted his knee.

"General Watson knows what he is doing and he will keep the capital safe. They won't break through here because we are fortified and very well equipped. Also the bridge will blow so they can't get heavy equipment across. They will be repelled and we will win the day." I went on, trying to sound as reassuring as possible.

"I guess you're right." He replied, seeming a little less depressed but I could not do anything about his longing for his wife.

"They are insane…" I muttered as I watched the little boat get put on the water. Their plan was to plant new mines and scavenge grenades, tactical information, ammo, and remove as much cover as possible. They were useful objectives, but I for one did not like the idea of being on the other side.

"Good luck!" I yelled down to them. One of them turned his head and shushed before he gave me a thankful nod.

"They're insane alright." A soldier said next to me n agreement. His name was Kyle, but that was all I knew except that he was around forty and had been working at the manufactorum before he was conscripted. He had been fighting on the left flank, but he had been moved here when the guys from Carrion took over their position. Bravo now numbered only fifty-four fighting men and had thirty-six wounded. A message had been sent to command that we needed at least two new platoons to reinforce us.

The small boat quietly made its way across with six soldiers on board. They were armed with rifles and grenades. Their camouflaged bodies jumped out of the boat and onto the shore. Quickly they advanced forward into the huge piles of bodies. I watched from a distance as they looked for officers and commissars. The boat came back for a second squad that was going to cross over as well, but these looked like engineers, and they also had with them crates marked with "HE".

After searching for quite some time they found something. I took a mouthful of water from my canteen and watched as an officer came jogging towards the lucky soldier. The soldier held several papers in his hand alongside a small object I could not make out. It must have been of importance though since the soldier got a nice pat on the shoulder and the officer made haste back to the boat.

The search went on as the officer was transported over the river. He brought with him an escort of eight men and headed back to HQ. The search went on without incident or the rest of the day. In the end the mines were planted and all soldiers retreated with many new rifles, grenades, pistols, ammunition and other military equipment useful to us. All those who had been in on the search came from Alpha and they too went back to HQ.

Out of nowhere the medic from earlier popped up. "Hello. How is the wound soldier?" He asked with a smile and looked at my arm. He seemed pleased about something and smiled a lot.

"It hurts, but I can manage." I replied, and turned so we stood face to face. He looked up with his grey-blue eyes, and straightened himself up. He was still a few centimeters lower than me.

"I will not take you off the front yet." He said, and handed me a new pistol. "Captain Lothek wants that back." He said and took the Accatran MG and gave me an Accatran pattern instead. "Try to use your arm as little as possible, and come see me at HQ after tomorrow. Have a good night." He went on before he moved on past me.

"Seems like a busy man." I said to Alex as the medic started talking to another soldier with a bandage around his head.

Alex was on guard duty for the night and I decided to get some sleep. My arm hurt a bit, but it wasn't so bad. I had regained some feeling in my hand and fingers, but I tried to not move them because it hurt a lot. Pulling my green blanket over myself I went to sleep. My second day at the front was effectively over.


	3. Fresh Recruits

I awoke early today. The sun was rising to the north (down the river to the right). Alex was sleeping next to me. Kyle was standing a few meters away from me with his sleepy eyes focused on where the enemy would come from. His uniform was dirty and he had blood on the left arm, but he hadn't been shot. It might be my blood for all I knew.

"Morning Kyle." I said to him, as I yawned. He did not answer. "Morning Kyle!" I said a little louder this time. He turned his head and looked at me with tired eyes.

"Morning." He replied, and turned back to his watch. Remembering my left shoulder I did not make any quick movements as I stood up. I still had the blanket wrapped around my upper body to fend off the cold that night brought.

"Had any fun tonight?" I asked, slowly stretching my legs and right arm.

"No." He answered and yawned. I felt a little sorry for the man. He had been awake for at least six hour through the night, and needed rest.

"Go get some sleep Kyle. I'll take over." I said since I was well rested and he obviously wasn't.

"Nah… It's alright." He replied, and yawned again. Deciding that he could take care of himself I decided to change the subject.

"So this is our last day on the front." I said and sighed happily.

"Yeah, it'll be good to get some real rest for a change." Kyle replied as yet another yawn escaped his mouth.

"I've slept well…" I replied, but I had only been awake the first night and that hadn't even been a real night watch. "But I agree, and to actually get to eat dinner would be great."

"You could always eat a bullet…" he suggested, clearly joking.

"That is a delicacy I hope I will never have to enjoy." I replied and we both snickered before it got quiet again.

"Who else is on guard?" I asked to bring life back to our conversation.

"Private Sanders is on guard at the bridge, and another guy is on guard a little down the trench." He answered and nodded down the trench. In the distance I saw the man Kyle spoke of. He marched back and forth, and now he was coming closer to us. Now that I caught a good look at him I saw the emblem of the PDF on his shoulder. Two rifles crossed over a blue eagles head looking sideways. He also had hooks for grenades on his jacket and he wore a black cap. Other than that he looked like a regular soldier like us.

"I'll go and see if he is up for a small chat." I said and started walking.

"Good morning!" I said trying to sound as cheerful as possible as I approached the soldier.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked and looked straight at my wound.

"I am pretty sure it is?" I answered him as I closed the last five meters between us. "I am Private Steven Harrow. And you are?"

"I am Corporal Frank Weiss, so it is 'Sir' to you Private."

"Of course Sir, I am sorry Sir." I replied with all the politeness I could muster.

"Was there anything you wanted?" He asked with the mask of authority glued to his face.

"No Sir. I was just curious about who you were. That was all Sir." I answered him, straightening my back like a good soldier. They had taught me that in the militia.

"Well I am your superior officer. I was transferred here from the 214th PDF infantry regiment, and my name is Corporal Frank Weiss. Who might you be then?" He asked after answering my question. I had been right about him being from the PDF.

"I am Private Steven Harrow Sir. I joined the militia before the uprising and I have only served in the third militia regiment Sir." I replied, roughening my voice in an attempt to try to sound like a good soldier.

"Well then Private Harrow. Unless you have any important news or new orders I would suggest that you let me return to my duty." And without even letting me answer he turned around and walked away.

"One could think he had rolled himself into a cigar and smoked it! I have never seen such a low-ranked officer so high on himself before!" I raged with a normal voice as I returned to Kyle's side.

"It went that well huh?" Kyle asked back, I was not sure if he feigned the small hint of interest I saw on his tired face. The sun was yellow instead of orange now and it bathed the river with its light.

"Yup, I hope I never have to serve under him. He is typical officer who thirsts for glory, and is too busy with that to worry about anything else." I answered as I took up position next to him. Feeling that I needed something to do I took my laspistol out of the holster in my belt and studied it for a short while. The sights were regular with two boxes on the right and left with an opening in between and a white post at the front of the barrel. The gun itself was colored green with a black grip. The safety was on. It was placed on the right side of the slide a centimeter above the trigger.

"He's a typical poor noble then." Kyle summarized, and he was right about it. The Weiss family was a small family, but they were noble of sorts, and owned a few factories and a mansion. However they were of no major importance to the other nobles.

The sound of our runners chatting as they came with our breakfast brightened my day quite a bit. As usual I was hungry and I thanked the Emperor for the runners with our meal. I had no doubt that the Imperium tried to brand us as heretics, but that was not true at all. We were all loyal to the God Emperor, but we had revolted feeling that the Imperium was putting too much pressure on our planet. Constantly they craved more weapons, more ammunition, more soldiers and more lives. Though it would be a long time till then I looked forward to the time when Neo Karthoum fought the servants of the ruinous powers by itself. I was lost in the thought of fighting our true enemies until a runner pricked my shoulder and handed me two sandwiches.

After Kyle had received his sandwiches we thanked the man, and he moved on to give the meals he was carrying. Most of the meals were balanced on the helmets or backpacks of sleeping soldiers whilst some were given to those who awakened at the smell of food.

"I wonder what they will try today." I asked, though the question was mostly loud thinking. They would most likely assault us as soon as our artillery started firing. They would probably come with more Chimeras, and we would try to hold the line for the rest of the day. In the end we would go back behind the front and put our feet up. Kyle understood that the question was not meant for him, since he kept nibbling away at his sandwich in silence. He should really get some rest. His eyes were red, and they constantly fell out of focus. It would take him at least two or three seconds to react if someone screamed "Imperials ahead!" and it would be the death of him unless he was quite lucky. Despite my calculations and worry it wasn't I who intervened.

"Get some sleep Kyle." The calm voice of the recently awoken Alex ordered as he came walking. Kyle reacted slowly and his long brown hair danced in the wind as he turned to look at Alex.

"Nah, I'm fine." He answered, and turned his head forwards again.

"That was an order, not a request." Alex replied as he came up next to him. "Sit down." He finished before Kyle managed to protest as he placed his hand on his shoulder and forced him to sit down. I watched as Alex held him still and covered him with a blanket. Too tired to fight, Kyle let his head fall back against the wall with a light "thud" and he fell asleep.

"Nice work nanny." I complimented Alex as soon as Kyle made his first snore.

"Thanks." He replied and smiled before he took a bite from one of Kyle's abandoned sandwiches.

He met my questioning gaze as I asked "Weren't those for Kyle?"

"They would get blown away, and he wouldn't wake up before the battle anyway and he'd forget them." He took another bite and chewed it carefully. "And also I am hungry."

At precisely ten o'clock our artillery fired its first barrage. We could clearly hear the sound of the big guns firing, but it wasn't nearly enough to wake Kyle. On his behalf Alex and I was thankful. All the men of Beta Company were ready with their weapons either shouldered or in hand. I was breathing as silently as possible as my eyes swept back and forth like everyone else's. Kyle was still sleeping, but we had gagged him in a very comfortable way so his snoring was barely audible even to us who stood closest.

Our artillery had been firing non-stop for a half hour now. Steps came closer and a man asked

"Grenades?"

"Yes please." I answered for me and Alex and we both took one. We already had two, and did not need more than that. I found out that I almost looked forward to use it on the guardsmen.

"_I wonder what their shredded insides look like…_"I thought, but I was glad I did not say it out loud. I had heard of many men that were consumed by battle, and was unrecognizable when they came back home. I did not want to become such a man. A violent drunkard, a bloodthirsty monster or a broken wreck with his nerves on the outside of his skin, I had seen all of the different sorts. I had no intention of becoming one in their endless ranks. Stopping that strain of thought I gathered my focus again and looked forwards.

The Chimera charged forth as soon as the first shots were fired. The sound of thousand thunderbolts in rapid succession warned us that the twin bolters were now tearing something to pieces.

"I want artillery near the bridge!" Lothek yelled into his Vox and all the soldiers heard him on the channel. I raised my pistol and aligned the sights. The first time I pulled the trigger I felt the difference in the recoil. The kicked very hard against my hand compared to the MG Defender, but I would just have to get used to it. I took aim at a pair of guardsmen rushing for the river carrying a small rubber boat when another Chimera rushed forth on our flank.

"Frak!" I yelled as it unloaded its punishing firepower. I quickly ducked as the turret directed its fire in my direction. Alex was not far behind. We both sat there as he held his helmet hard down on his head and I covered my ears. Every round that hit the trench almost felt like a punch to my back. I looked to where Kyle had been sitting, but he was gone now along with his rifle.

"They're crossing!" Someone yelled and I got back up again as the Chimera either paused or reloaded. Four plastic boats were on their way across and more guardsmen came running with boats. I took aim for the closest boat and pulled the trigger. One of the six men in the boat fell back with a red mark on his torso, and he was dumped off the boat. As I took aim for a new guardsman I saw that my shot had passed through his comrade and into his thigh. I clearly heard the sound of rattling as a runner rushed past me with an ammo-belt for our MG. Waiting until he had passed I pulled the trigger again. The shot only grazed the soldier, but as I fired another shot he fell dead into the river. The ground shook as a shell fell on the opposite riverbank. Screaming bodies and earth was hurled through the air. I could feel my heart pumping desperately as my sweat rolled down my forehead. I pulled the trigger, and noticed how slippery it felt under my finger. The sun hid behind a cloud, and another poor guardsman fell dead from the boat to a watery grave. "They're committing suicide!" Alex yelled, with despair and shock in his voice. They could never hope to defeat us in this manner, but still they came. On and on they attacked with no chance to break through. The first two boats were empty of soldiers before they got over to our side. I would not mourn the fools who had been in them, but I was worried about those who might make it across.

The Chimera had reloaded and was devastating our trench, but I was surprised at how few it actually killed. I was still standing and making myself as thin as possible as I aimed and fired. The first manned boat washed ashore and four men jumped out of it and onto the shore. Most of our firepower was focused on their infantry on the other side since they were laying down suppressive fire, but a few were holding their main assault back.

I felt the recoil kick my hand once, twice, thrice, and the result was one enemy dead and one with a useless leg. I few shots passed by me, but gave me little worry as I took a deep breath and held it. Taking careful aim I sent another imperial into deaths embrace. The wounded guardsman took cover behind his dead comrades and started shooting. I watched as he took aim for me and fired. The heat rushed by my head and left a scratch. Now it was my turn. Gathering all my available focus I stilled my hand and closed my eyes. Taking a deep breath I zeroed in on the man's head and pulled the trigger. He ducked at the last moment and his rifle was ripped from his hands. He laid there helpless as Alex landed the final shot down his left shoulder and through his upper body, but I never saw an exit-wound.

Shifting my aim I targeted a new squad that had made it across. Six soldiers rushed forward with their guns blazing. The steep beach slowed them down, but it would not be long before they were in range to throw grenades. I pulled the trigger without taking much aim, but my gun did not fire. Realizing I was out of ammo I started to reload. As I put the power-cell into the gun I threw a quick glance over the river. More boats were inbound with more infantry onboard.

"_When will they run out of men?_" I asked myself halfway despairing and halfway in awe. The Chimera started spewing out more bolter-rounds, but an HE shell landed right next to it and flipped it over rendering the tank useless. Having reloaded my gun I took aim for the advancing squad once again. This time however I was also cheated of my kill. A grenade was thrown and rolled its last few meters before it launched them all screaming down from whence they came. I turned my gun towards the river, and watched as their assault was stopped by a wall of bullets from our mg.

Screams filled the air as a projectile hit the trench. It was either a very skilled, or a very lucky gunner who had fired it. I saw at least three medics rush to the impact-site.

"Bastards!" I yelled and unloaded my pistol as fast as I could onto the distant shore. Alex switched his rifle to full auto and joined the bloodlust, but he showed more calmness than me. His barrel swept back and forth, leaving either dead or wounded in its wake. Wherever he left someone alive I took care of them as best as I could. I have no idea how long we kept the ritual going, but after a while it became automated to me. I did not have to think as I aimed, fired and reloaded, but I felt relieved as the Imperial army started its retreat at last.

"It's five past four." Alex answered after I asked him what the time was. The enemy had retreated fourteen minutes ago, probably to regroup and rearm. The Chimera that had almost been destroyed by the artillery had now been reduced to a burning heap of metal. A rocket launcher had seen to that. We had four of those and very little ammo for them, so they were kept off the front. However they had brought one down on each flank for when the other Chimera returned.

"I wonder if they'll come back." I said as I checked my belt for more ammo. Sadly I only had the power-cell in my pistol left. The used cells were scattered on the ground at my feet.

"They will be back." Alex assured me without even taking his eyes off the sights.

"Where is a runner? I need new power-cells." I complained and threw a look around. I also needed a shower, but so did everyone else. The smell of gunpowder, ozone, sweat and blood filled our nostrils wherever we went. I was barely started getting used to it, but I was happy that I would quite soon be a kilometer away from it. Still, I was here now and I had guardsmen to slay.

The runner came and I grabbed his arm. As I turned to look at his face I saw that he was only a young kid, sixteen at most. He had short blonde stubble and short hair that was the army standard.

"Go get me some lasgun ammo, and be quick about it." I said and released his arm. He wore the same uniform as me, but without the markings of a private.

"Yes Sir." He answered obediently, and rushed off for the requested supplies.

"They're giving us kids." I muttered quietly.

"I am not surprised. We must use every able-bodied man and woman to fight." Kyle said as he came walking. He caught us by surprise, but as always we greeted a surviving comrade with open arms. "

Where have you been?" I asked and gave him a solid pat on the back.

He just smiled and said "Near the mg. They had brought engineers to disarm the bombs on the bridge." Kyle explained. "They did not succeed of course" He went on and sat down where he had been sleeping earlier. He still looked tired and had red eyes, but he looked more wake than earlier at least. "And what have you two been up to in my absence?" Kyle asked, relatively nonchalant.

I took a deep breath and answered "We were here holding back the main offensive." The thought of our killcount both scared and amazed me. The Imperium's total disregard of human life shocked me. I had of course read about battle and seen lists of casualties, but it was entirely different to experience it yourself.

"Yeah I noticed that…" Kyle answered and nodded.

He looked into the ground and Alex went on saying "The idiots used boats. They would have been safer if they were shot over here with catapults!" The thought of flying guardsmen coming to attack us made me laugh a little. The image of hundreds of bodies being launched over the river screaming was priceless. Remembering their dead I quickly put on my serious face again. I would not dishonor their dead. That was far below me.

The steady firing of the artillery was almost calming now. It was four hours since the last attack, and I was one of the few who dared to rest. I was sitting on an empty crate and tapped the rhythm of the artillery guns firing with my index finger. Our shift would be over by nine, and I for one was waiting a little impatiently. I was sitting bare bodied in the sun, having discarded my brown jacket and t-shirt. Both were standard army gear. I did not want to be attacked before we were relieved. I could hope all I wanted. It would not stop the guardsmen.

Our mg gunner caught sight of the enemy first, and his weapon roared to life. All along the line soldiers was shocked and rushed to their feet with their rifles shouldered.

We all heard two loud bangs in the distance and Lothek's scream "INCOMING!" The shells landed dangerously close as the first guardsmen opened fire from their cover. The earth trembled and knocked me over as I tried to rush to my position. I howled in pain as I landed on my bad arm, but Kyle quickly dragged me to my feet.

It was clear this time that the imperials were not attempting to cross, but rather decimate us. I counted four heavy bolters coming up on our flank alone. Two more shells landed near our positions before our artillery redirected its fire from the main front to our skirmish. I raised my right arm with my pistol ready. After aligning the sights I fired. Either the recoil had lessened or I had gotten used to it. I took aim again as a lone imperial rushed forth with his rifle ready. He fired single shots, but with low accuracy judging by how he almost jumped with each step he took. When my shot hit his head his feet kept going as his head stopped. He looked as if he had slipped and fell, but the blood pouring out from his neck confirmed my kill. The earth on the other side was stained red, and had tasted more than enough blood. Next I pointed the barrel at a bolter squad. They were quite busy setting up their heavy gun.

"Fools." I whispered, and pulled the trigger. The first shot missed and ricocheted off the bolter. My next round hit the back of the neck of one of them. He looked like he was barely out of training. Thinking of it I saw that all their gear was polished and shiny. They were raw recruits, and we were their baptism by fire. I paused for a second.

"_I am killing kids…_" I thought as horror filled me. Next to me Kyle and Alex kept shooting. They were oblivious to what I was seeing, but as soon as a few shots strafed me I started shooting back again. "_Dangerous kids._" I corrected myself as the other crewman fell dead after a shot delivered by me.

In the end only one of their bolters managed to get into position and start shooting. The rest was either picked off by rifle-fire or our mortars. Four rafts had been brought forward, and were making their way across. The soldiers on these were smarter than the ones earlier. Sandbag covers were prepared before they started rowing across. Our mg easily tore the covers down, but they rebuilt them. The sun was going down, and from what I could gather I saw that their attack was faltering. Fewer and fewer rifles returned fire, and was silenced almost as soon as the fire flashed out of their barrels.

All the soldiers laughed as they took shots at the soldiers on the rafts. They were sitting ducks on the river. I myself had shot at least two, but a guy with a grenade launcher had simply sunk an entire raft with a single HE round and thus held the record for most kills. They were firing back sporadically, but they knew that there was no hope. Many of them cried, or prayed to their emperor. There was nothing they could do but wait for death to claim them. Deciding to spare them a long torture I simply started pulling the trigger as fast as I could as I aimed for the boat. Body after body fell into the river and caused the surface to ripple as more soldiers died. When the men on my side realized I was stealing their kills they went full auto themselves as they tried to get whatever kill they could. Everyone had someone to avenge, and now we had these poor idiots to take it out on. The shooting only lasted for thirteen seconds.

I was shaking as I sat down. It was only ten minutes left before Alpha would come and replace us, but rest was hard to find.

"_I did what I had to do. They would have killed me._" I told myself over and over, but justifying the deaths of sixteen year old kids was hard to do.

"Alpha is here!" Kyle said, and I turned to look at them. They were smiling, probably looking forward to tasting battle. They would not be smiling after tomorrow. Looking over at Kyle I saw that he was smiling like the soldiers from Alpha, and as I looked around I saw many happy faces from my company, but I could not bring myself to smile just yet. Everyone put their backpacks on which we had packed after the first attack. I took Kyle's dirty hand and he pulled me up and out of the trench. Beta Company left the right flank as Alpha Company took our positions, and with the sun on the horizon we marched away from the bridge.

Dust blew in the wind as we marched down the road. We had quickly been ordered to march in an organized manner, and now we followed Lothek. I kept quiet, but all around me there were conversations. I made one interjection or two now and again, but I had no real interest in discussing how many guardsmen I had killed or how. I only held interest in getting rest, and later going to the medic. Though it was mostly a little more classy to use a pistol I preferred my rifle, and my rifle was currently in Lothek's possession. The sound of almost fifty boots marching in unison was almost hypnotizing, and felt calming. We had lost around one hundred men, and would have to get replacements quite soon.

All along the road I saw barbed wire, sandbag covers and pillboxes. The most surprising thing was the soldiers guarding the fortifications. I recognized the insignias on their uniforms. They bore the same mark as us, but with the mark of another platoon: 3M1P written along a horizontal rifle.

"When hell did first platoon get here?" I asked the soldier marching on my right, but he had no answer for me and merely shrugged. I looked at them where they stood at their posts with their weapons on their backs. Some people who knew each other exchanged greetings or news either from home or the main front. Since I knew none of them I walked in silence.

Night had fallen when we reached the base. We were simply given orders to find a place to rest before we were dismissed by our captain. Me, Kyle, Alex and another man found a green tent with portable field-beds. We all found a bed and got our things out. I just had need of my blanket, and once I got it out I pushed my bag under the bed. I pulled my cap off and unbuttoned my jacket. They were both curled together and would serve as my pillow. My gun was on still in its holster on my side, but I would not take it off. You could never know if there would be an unexpected assault. When I felt satisfied with my bed I fell to the bed and wrapped the blanket over me. The beds weren't considered comfortable by civilian standards, but to me they almost felt like sleeping on a pile of feathers. I looked at the dark roof and yawned.

"Good night folks." I muttered before I closed my eyes, and drifted off.


	4. First Day Off

When morning came it felt so comfortable lying in bed that I did not want to wake up. "_I have earned this rest._" I thought and covered my eyes with a sleeve from my jacket. We had no specific orders on when to wake up so I would exploit this chance as best as I could.

"Breakfast is probably ready now." Alex said, and put his clothes on. "Get up guys!" He went on as he himself was fully dressed. I had a strong urge to tell him to fuck off, but I did not since I was too busy trying to return to my sleep. Alex had other plans, and I was not shown any mercy when he started his attack. He pulled the blanket off me and exposed my bare skin to the cold morning air. I immediately felt goose bumps in my arms as the cold touched me.

"Give it back bastard!" I growled angrily at Alex, but he only laughed and took off out of the tent. I pulled my jacket out from under my head and gave him chase.

I managed to pull the jacket on and ignored the pain in my wounded arm. It wasn't so bad after all. I saw him running towards the kitchens. My low blood pressure kicked in and not only did I lose my balance, but also my ability to see. I must have looked like a drunken idiot as I ran zigzag past the tents with a limp arm. The sun was rising over the main frontline which was far away. I regained my sight after running for five or six seconds, and then I upped the speed a little. I had not bothered with taking off my boots last night, and I heard every step I took as I ran down what had once been a small market. Our tents had been positioned in a park in a town. I knew it was early in the morning since I heard no artillery. I had not seen any of the big guns, but on the other hand I had not gone exploring yet. I breathed heavily as I reached the kitchens and stepped into the dining hall.

"I did not want to eat breakfast alone." He apologized with a smile as he handed me my blanket. "I will let you sleep tomorrow." He went on when I did not answer him, and I had no intention to either. It was bad enough to steal my blanket, but then force me to chase you for at least three hundred meters was something that I would not easily forgive. Still, I knew that I was not one of the men who could be mad at someone for long and I would forgive him before dinner.

The dining-area was rather large and looked like it had once been a gymnastics hall. It was very spacious and built of a type of dark wood. Windows were placed on the roof and provided the room with lighting to make it comfortable. Tables were organized in large rows of at least sixteen with eight seats at each table. There were two tribunes on each side of the hall, but they were empty and made of white-painted stone. I wasn't surprised to see that the hall was empty except for the cooks preparing our food. The smell of heated potatoes, broth, cut vegetables and meat became stronger as we walked in silence between the rows towards the counter. Motivational posters and rosters of different kinds were hung up on the wall close to the counter. Slogans like "Heresy grows from Idleness", "A good soldier obeys without question. A good officer commands without doubt" and"Only in death does duty end" were written on various backgrounds of soldiers fighting or workers. They were the same posters that the Imperium used, but the only thing that distinguished us was the fact that we were free. Of course they were our enemy, but our government had tried to avoid fighting in any way possible. Obviously they had failed dramatically.

There were six cooks working over large boilers filled with steaming fluid. A few volunteers were cutting ingredients or lining up bowls and cutlery. The kitchen looked like it had once been a kiosk used during small sporting events or such, but it would do nicely to provide us with hot food as well. The last hot meal I had tasted was back in the base where we were served beef before we were sent out to march. It wasn't really that long ago, only six days. It felt like a lot more time had passed. I almost felt kind of old when I thought about it. Old men should go home and talk about war, not young men like me. I was eighteen and would be nineteen in a two Terran months.

"When can we get some food?" I asked as I nonchalantly leaned onto the counter. The chefs barely noticed me, but a volunteer walking back and forth did.

"I'll get you two bowls." He said and smiled with tired eyes, or they were just filled onion essence lingering in the air.

"Poor sod, working in the kitchens" Alex said, and tsk'ed several times.

"He's an auxiliary." I said and defended the boys honor. Auxiliary troops were there to help and fight if it was needed. They all wore green standard uniform without the flak-vest or other protection Also they had AX embroidered on their left shoulder under the insignia of the regiment they were attached to. "We're lucky to have sods like him so we don't have to do kitchen duty." I said, halfway as a joke and halfway as a statement.

"Do you want any recaf?" The Auxiliary asked and found two small white mugs for us.

"Yes please." We both answered, and he nodded back with a smile.

"_Just happy to do his duty._" I thought and smiled. He wouldn't be so happy in a few weeks or when the Imperial guard crossed the river. When someone threw a lasrifle into his hands and pushed him into a trench he would just wish that he could get out of there instead of killing his fellow man.

"Here you go sirs." He said and broke that strain of thought. "

Don't Sir us. We're just privates." Alex replied before he lifted the mug to his mouth and tasted the steaming fluid. The auxiliary did not hear him and he is back to cutting vegetables.

After a few seconds of waiting another auxiliary came with bowls of soup and we found ourselves two seats. I was surprised when I saw Alex put a small carton of Io-sticks on the table.

"Want one?" He asked when he saw my eyes on the carton.

"No thanks, I have my own." I answered, and indeed I had. I did not smoke, but they could be used as currency. I had got myself a little stack, and I was open for trade. I had gotten my hands on booze once even though I did not drink. It had gone for a very good price considering I was in a training camp. The money had been sent straight home of course, and now they were in my bank account gathering interest. I took a spoonful of the soup. The lightbrown fluid was semi-transparent. All the different ingredients danced around as I lifted the spoon out and led it up to my mouth. It simply smelled hot as the steam entered my nostrils. I blew gently at it before I put the spoon in my mouth. To my surprise it was edible and even tasted kind of good. Except for the fact that everything was boiled apart in a big mush I was very pleased. Quickly I took a new spoonful and repeated the process.

"Is it actually good?" Alex asked, with an undertone of amazement.

"Mhm." I answered with the spoon in my mouth. He took a spoonful and was equally surprised. After that we ate in silence.

"How is it at the front?" The auxiliary asked when he was done with his duties for the moment. He wasn't alone as he approached our table, but had brought with two males in their late teens and a girl I would have guessed where no more than sixteen. Two of the males were brown-haired and the female and their "leader" were blonde. They were all fair of skin and only the girl wore a cap and had her hair in a tail behind her back.

"We are holding." I answered him as they took seats next to us. One of the males bumped into my wounded shoulder and I growled at him. He turned with a scared gaze and apologized.

"How is it out there?" One asked with overflowing enthusiasm and curiosity. I turned to him and chewed a tough piece of meat.

"Overflowing with bodies." Alex answered since I used too much time chewing on my meat.

"Every day they attack us, possibly more than once. Hundreds are thrown against us and hundreds die." I went on, as Alex took a spoonful himself. The auxiliaries listened in awe, but the female looked like she kept her composure. She looked like she took her duties more seriously as she was dressed exactly as the standards dictated. "It is not just their soldiers that die. I will always remember how they rolled up one Chimera and slaughtered almost our entire left flank. I myself was only wounded." I said, dropped the spoon and showed them my arm.

"Didn't that hurt?" An auxiliary sitting next to Alex asked as he saw the blackish hole in my upper left triceps. He was their leader and looked at it with morbid curiosity.

"I screamed!" I replied and made it sound as horrible as possible. "I have never felt such pain ever!" I lied. I had once fallen from a hill I had been climbing and broke several ribs. That was true pain. Suddenly they erupted with questions about how I go shot, how I fought later and our killcount. Alex and I decided to bathe in the glory for a little while and decided to answer their questions.

The questions lasted for a while, and we enjoyed it a little bit. When we were out of recaf one of them would get up to get us some more and they asked if we wanted more food and such, but we were satisfied. I noticed that the blonde hadn't asked a single question, but was simply sitting there looking at me with her clear blue eyes. Whenever I met her gaze she looked away, and blushed slightly. Maybe it was my imagination. I was probably after all perhaps a little sexually frustrated. Over six months with restricted access to the outside of the training camp, and I had not "been intimate" with my girlfriend in a few months. She was probably in someone else's arms. I had once caught her cheating, but I forgave her. Why I did not know, but I had no doubt she would do it now. After all what were the odds of me coming back alive?

"How did you fight when you couldn't hold a rifle?" Their 'leader' asked and looked at me with amazement. I did not give him an answer, but simply got my laspistol out of its holster and laid it on the table. "Wow! Aren't those only handed out to officers?" The same man asked.

"Apparently not." I answered him and sent an auxiliary running for recaf since my cup was empty. He ran like hell to not miss a second of our stories.

We sat there talking until the artillery started firing and then some more, but in the end we ran out of stories to tell. We had only been out on the front so much. When we were out of stories most of them excused themselves and went back to the kitchen. The leader and the girl stayed for a bit longer, and now it was our turn to ask questions.

"Do you have any news from the capital?" I asked them both. We heard little of the main frontline in the trench and we had received no news on the march here.

"Watson is holding the line, but at great costs. The imperials have brought with themselves Space Marines." Their leader called Nathan answered.

"And more troops have landed than earlier anticipated." The girl went on. Her voice was surprisingly serious, but at the same time gentle like you would expect from a kid at her age.

"Do you have any numbers?" Alex inquired, a little impatiently. He had his family to think about and they were just a few kilometers behind the frontline in the city itself. The frontline was placed in the hills south of the city.

"I don't remember correctly, but at least four hundred thousand soldiers died during the advance." I shook my head in disbelief at Nathans answer. "Their losses are estimated to four times ours, and they only gained very little ground on the eastern flank." He went on.

"Have they been pushed back?" Alex went on more impatient than before.

"They were indeed. Barrages from the artillery here and the 102nd armored division knocked them back." The girl answered, and Alex breathed a little easier.

Seizing the opportunity I asked "What is your name girl." She looked at me and a hint of red spread across her cheeks. I wasn't fooling myself now.

"I am Auxiliary Jane Carrie Sir." She answered, and I nodded in reply as I measured her. She was in good shape, and seemed serious enough. I just hoped that she was not one of those brainwashed kids who believed that "dying for the cause" was a great honor. Such delusions were beyond me. When you die you die. That was how simple it was to me.

"I'm gonna go see the medic. He told me to give him a visit when I got back." I excused myself.

Nathan and Jane stood up and saluted me whilst Alex just said "See you later," before he lighted up a smoke. Soldiers were coming in now expecting breakfast. Now I saw soldiers from first platoon as well. They were dressed in camouflage fit for various duties, it most were just dressed in standard flak armor.

"Just another day on guard-duty." A soldier complained as I walked past him and his friend. They were dressed in standard armor like ours, but without the camouflage. They were probably reserves for the moment, or the rear guard.

"Halla boyes!" I said to a group to my left as we walked past each other.

"Yo!" Another one said back, and moved to fist bumped me. I had no other choice than to fist bump him back with my bad hand. To my surprise the experience was soft. He must have seen the wound and decided to go gently on me.

The sun had risen and the sound of artillery was more audible when I walked out the doors. The camp had suddenly sprung to life as I now saw soldiers walking back and forth, squads assembling for inspection or various missions, and some were just lazing outside their tents. Chatter went on about everything as I started walking towards the local governing offices were. There we had our headquarters and medical facilities.

"I have heard rumors that six Baneblades came in with the Astartes." A soldier said to a band of mates as I walked past.

"Heard from whom?" his friends queried and mocked him.

"I have a friend in the communications-branch here. He has access and receives reports all day…" By now I was too far away to hear the rest, but he seemed quite convinced as other voices drowned him out. Baneblades were huge harbingers of destruction. They sported several cannons, turrets and near indestructible armor. Hopefully none would come in this direction.

The sign "MEDIC" and an arrow pointed me to the right place when I came to the governmental buildings. It was just like a regular office-building in every city on the planet. A red large brick box with windows and a door. However governmental buildings were always adorned with banners. The medics however had taken residence in a green tent next to it. It was a large forty meters times sixty meters tent and it had beds and even an operating theatre.

"Hello there." The merry voice of the medic from the front said from behind. His shambled his way past me with a heavy backpack. "New supplies; we need them dearly in here." He went on as he passed by me. He was sweating and his uniform had bloodstains in some places.

I followed behind him and asked "Need any help?" I asked since I saw that he was carrying a heavy bag.

"No, but thanks anyway. Take a seat over there and wait." He answered and nodded his head towards a chair in a corner. I followed his order and went over to the wooden chair and sat down. There were many different chairs that had probably been looted from the surrounding houses.

The tent was hot filled with noise. Soldiers were lying around moaning in pain, shifting nervously in their beds, playing cards or walking around to talk to people. From time to time I saw a few with amputated arms or legs, but mostly we there were only wounds from lasfire or from shrapnel. The unlucky ones were shot through the torso, but most of them were only shot in legs or arms in places that made them useless I a fight like the elbow or knee. Then I saw what the medic had been carrying. From the bag he pulled boxes that contained mechanical arms, legs, hands and other limbs that might need replacing. I felt lucky that I did not need one. My intention was to die as human as the day I was born unless I was given a chance to improve my body drastically of course.

After a few minutes and a conversation with a man who seemed like a medical officer he came over to me with a small box marked with a red cross on a white background. He was quite cheerful in spite of being surrounded by suffering men and women. He had kind green eyes and brown hair which was an unusual combination.

"How are you doing then?" He asked with a small smile as he closed the distance between us.

"Good." I replied, and that was the truth.

"Good. Take off your jacket." He ordered and got down on one knee as I slipped the grey jacket off me. "Have you kept the wound clean?" He asked, and examined the hole on my arm. He had a friendly smile on his face, and not the stern seriousness that usually came with experienced medics.

"I have not really put an effort into it, but I think I have kept dirt and such out of it." I answered him as he sniffed it. He nodded and touched the skin around the wound.

"Does this hurt?" He asked and applied some pressure around the wound.

"Yup." I replied and it really did. "Good." he replied and opened his kit. He searched through the organized contents and found a scalpel. I was immediately alarmed. I had always had a slight fear of sharp and shiny objects.

"I have to open the wound and see if anything is dead, and if there is then I have to scrape it out." He explained and got something that looked like a small spoon and a plastic bag out of the kit. "Are you ready?" He asked, and looked me straight into the eyes.

He probably saw the fear, but I answered him "Just get on with it."

He gave me a clean piece of cloth and with a sincere look he said "Try to wipe away the blood before it stains your uniform or mine."

The pain was excruciating as he opened the thick membrane of solidified blood. Red liquid started flowing immediately and I quickly held the cloth underneath the wound. He quickly found something that looked like a pair of tweezers, but they worked the other way around and held the wound open. With trained eyes he watched the wounds while I kept the gasps of pain down my throat. I watched him as he carefully inserted the small spoon into the wound that was now around a centimeter across and high. A single gasp was let out as he started scraping out dead flesh. The feeling of the cold metal against the muscles in my arm was quite something. "There's not much to scrape out. Bear with me." He said and kept working.

"That hurt." I complained after he was done. Now he was applying some red colored glue or something to the wound to stop the bleeding and make it heal faster.

"Don't be such a baby," He mocked and winked at me. I smiled back. It hadn't really been that bad, but I was glad it was over with. "Same orders as before: Try to avoid using your arm, rest and try to keep it clean."

"Yes sir." I relied and he took off to deal with another patient.

_Far away in the void of space_

"Brothers!" The huge armored man yelled to his listeners. "The meeting has begun." And with that the assembly of twenty armored men sat down in unison in their seats. The chairs creaked under their heavy weight, but none broke.

"I have watched a particular war in the Ultima segmentum for a little while now." The armored figure said as he started pacing back and forth. His eyes were watching the soldiers with keen eyes. "I know we have lost many marines and servants in our fight for freedom, but this is our chance to stand our ground and gain a home." Many of the warriors nodded in agreement, and a few even smiled at the thought.

"I have faith in these rebels, and I think that the survival of our warband has the highest probability of surviving alongside them than alone." The leader went on, and stopped pacing. "Those who do not wish to engage in this conflict may leave when they wish without harm coming to them, but I would strongly urge you to stay with us." No one said a thing as their leaders eyes swept over them. "Good. We will arrive in two days." The warrior said and the meeting was over.

_Back on Neo Karthoum a few hours later_

The sun was going and we were peacefully watching it. Kyle, Alex, me and Gareth who was one of the guys we were sharing a tent with. He was eighteen years old, and came from a city almost in the other side of the planet. The artillery was still firing and they had been firing through the entire day. How we managed to get that much ammunition was a mystery to me. We were all sitting on a bench that we had acquired from the park.

"I wonder if there is any news from the front." Kyle pondered and at a cloud in the sky. "

Which one?" I asked and snorted. "The bridge or the capital or everything else?" I added to clarify my point.

"I meant the bridge, and the capital." Kyle answered and drank from his canteen. I knew that he had no real interest in the capital except for the action in the stories, and he already knew the latest news from the front, but we heard little from the bridge. Those who came back from there were too injured to speak to us or dead.

"I guess we are holding the enemy back on all fronts." I answered to the best of my abilities as a large group of militias marched by. They were all muddy and three of them were bloodied. In the back I saw that one was supported by another as he limped forward with what looked pieces of a door stuck in his thigh.

"What the hell happened to you?" Alex asked the squad and one of them stopped.

He looked at all our faces and answered "A small Imperial patrol made it across up the river past our guards. We were sent to take them out." They numbered forty-three men and were a relatively large group for such a mission.

"How many were there?" I asked and straightened my back up.

"There were twenty guardsmen and a sergeant. They put up one hell of a fight." He answered and shook his head. He too had been shot, but only grazed the back of his right hand. As I saw that I checked his badge and he too was a private like me.

"Losses?" Alex asked in a more serious tone. The man went silent as sadness filled his face.

"We lost seventeen good men." He was fighting to keep his mask on, but he wasn't doing a good job. I got up and walked over to him. I did not really have anything smart or good to say. The road was trampled into mud at this point and my boots got surprisingly dirty, but I did not even bother with it. To my big surprise I wrapped my good arm around him and gave him a hug. It took him a small second to realize what was happening, but he returned it.

"I hate those fuckers." He whispered with pure hate into my ear. His voice was shaking from both sadness of losing his friends and hate towards those that killed him. His squad had kept going and they were now a little way past him.

"I'd better go." He said after a few seconds. He had been sobbing a little, but not much. He had all right to. Losing friends was never something easy. All the old veterans had told us that you could never get used to it and I believed them. He released me and took off after his squad and I stood there watching as he halfway jogged away. When he had blended in with the rest of his squad I sat back down on the bench. No one said a word about the hug or anything, but we spent the rest of the dusk discussing the battles at the front. Gareth had been on the left flank from day one and had barely survived. We eagerly listened to his tale about how the fighting had been over there. Apparently the imperials had made it across and made a charge, but they had been stopped by grenades. They had lost their officer on the second day when the Chimera had rolled in and he had been reduced to a heap of unidentifiable meat and body parts.

I grew tired after the sun had gone down and went to bed inside my tent. This time however I took off my boots seeing that they were dirty. I carefully lay down on my back and wrapped my green blanket over me before I drifted off to sleep.


End file.
